Proto-Lezghian: *ʡamg ( ~ ħ-)
Meaning: 1 niche in wall 2 roof orifice 3 crystal 4 glass
Lezghian: hamga 3
Tabasaran: hamg 4
Agul: ʕagug 4
Kryz: ʕag 1,2
Budukh: ħag 2
Comment: The Ag. word (a reduplicated form) means 'mirror'; cf. Ag. Bursh., Tp. ʡägʷ id. The original meaning is obviously preserved in Kryz. and Bud. ('niche in a wall' or 'roof orifice', whence 'window' > 'glass' in other languages).
There is a complicated relationship between this PL root (no doubt genuine, cf. the external parallels) and Osset. avg ( < Iran. *āpaka) 'glass'. The Iranian form may have influenced some of the Lezghian forms (especially Ag.; cf. also Arch. kabk 'glass' - which is quite isolated and can not correspond to other Lezg. forms). It is worth noting that the Iranian form was also borrowed in Adygh: PAK *ápk:ǝ 'glass' (Ad. āpč́, Kab. ābǯ), see Abayev 1958, 84, Shagirov 1,4.
